On the one hand, there is lots of camping in the mountains near Fresno, and lakes. In Fresno, it's flat, so cycling is easy. It started as a farming community

And that continues in the overall tone of the area. Fairly conservative.

On the other hand, crime in Fresno is a problem, with Hispanic and Asian gang activity. By careful attention to geography, you can probably steer clear of that in your housing choice.

It is also smoggy and unbelievably hot between May and

October. It's a dry heat, though. In the middle of winter, it can get fogged in for days.

I would hope you could spend a few days there, and speak to residents. It could work for you.

Gardening is a little different here, because you have to continually irrigate. There is no rain in the hotter months.

Before I offer my suggestion, you need to know that sometimes folks 'vote' that a thread about moving is not travel related and get the thread removed. Here is the info from the TripAdvisor Help Center, in case anyone wonders what TA member holleyc can ask.

"A discussion providing short-term relocation advice is acceptable provided it remains relevant to travelers moving or looking to move to that destination.

Orientation to neighborhoods, travel logistics, visa requirements, or even post-arrival "thanks, everyone" updates are welcome, whereas asking for help finding roommates, buying/selling furniture or ongoing personal updates are not considered travel-related."

So if someone removes your thread, ask TripAdvisor to have it reinstated. Info in the Help Center (teeny tiny link at the bottom of the page.)

Anyway, I have a friend who is very happy living in Friant, just north of Fresno & Clovis. There are some neighborhoods in Fresno that are at best 'sketchy' and at worst, dangerous. But she really enjoys Friant and feels safe.

Hopefully a few of the Fresno regulars will offer a better variety of suggestions. Fresno is huge, so you may want to get more specific ideas closer to the job location.

Good luck!

If you can get a few days to visit it would help. If you do travel to visit, I would suggest booking a hotel in North Fresno near the RiverPark area, there are a lot of new hotels near the intersection of Herndon Avenue and Fresno Street to use.

I moved to the Fresno area from the California coast several decades ago for a new corporate job and thought it would be for only a few years but instead I put down roots and have stayed. Likewise my wife (who I met here) moved from coastal California for a new job decades ago and stayed. We have new neighbors who moved here 6 months ago with their children for a job transfer and are already saying they hope it will turn into a long term residency.

The area does not work for everyone but many of us who are transplants found ourselves putting down deeper roots than we planned.

I find the area fuller of contrasts and variety than many realize. You'll find some people with very conservative political attitudes but also the 6th oldest gay/lesbian film festival in the US; the largest Veterans Day parade on the west coast and activists for a variety of liberal causes; the party registration percentage between Republicans and Democrats are nearly even, the closest numbers in California rather than heavy toward one party or the other; food and cultural events exist ranging from Greek to Hmong to Hispanic to Armenian and more; concerts ranging from county to rock to jazz to opera stars like Bocelli; residents range from highly educated people to low educated; agriculture is large corporate farms to smaller organic operations; etc. However I look at the area, I see wide contrasts and variety.

One of the things I enjoyed after moving here was the proximity to Sequoia and Yosemite. I could leave work on Friday, pick up my camping gear at home and 1 hour later be starting dinner under the sequoia trees.

Lots of trails and bike lanes already in the area plus a county sales tax is now putting $1 million per year into new trails/lanes in Fresno and Clovis. Here is a map of the existing bike trail/lane network inside Fresno/Clovis.

www.valleyrides.com/pdf/Bikeway_Map.pdf

Some big cycling events for both locals and visitors include the Blossom Trail Bike Ride in spring; The California Classic (a busy freeway is closed to cars so cyclists can ride on it); and The Climb to Kaiser (one of the toughest in the US).

http://blossombikeride.com/

http://www.californiaclassicweekend.com/

http://www.climbtokaiser.com/

The Fresno Cycling Club has group rides nearly every day. Check their calendar at:

http://fresnocycling.com/

Not sure what types of water sports you enjoy but there are many rivers and lakes in the area that provide a variety of experiences.

Weather is overall good compared to many areas. Expect about 35 days of over 100 degrees in summer (but only about 20-25% humidity levels in the afternoon). About 12 inches of rain per year (nearly all in winter) with one day of light snow every 5 years or so. Winter is cool but not cold, only 10 to 20 nights/year do the temps drop below 32 degrees.

Overall crime (property and violent crime combined) in Fresno is lower than in cities like Atlanta, Sacramento and others. Neighboring Clovis is very safe, similiar crime rate to Santa Rosa (or for reference lower than Sandy Springs in GA). Crime in some Fresno neighborhoods is high (particularly in older southeast and southwest areas of the city) but again that also shows the contrasts I mentioned.

Without a visit I'd probably suggest looking for a residence in north Fresno or Clovis (roughly north of Shaw or Ashlan for both). There are also nice older homes in other safe areas south of Shaw like Fig Garden or the Tower District but too hard to list specific boundaries here. I would suggest you consider using street level views on Google or Bing to check specific neighborhoods also, that allows seeing the conditions of houses, cars, etc.

Fresno, huh? Hmm

Make a visit in August and see how you like the heat. Or in December for the fog.

At least it isn't Bakersfield

I regularly went to the Fresno area to visit family for decades up until a couple of yrs ago. In a nutshell, the negatives for me were: smog, poverty, crime, heat and very conservative politics. The positives: local veggie, fruit and almond availability, low housing costs (many foreclosures in the area so housing choices are abundant), and relatively close to Shaver Lake, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia nat'l parks. As an aside, your animal rescue skills and interests would be very much needed since animal control policies and "shelters" are not good there. As others have said, be certain to visit and explore the area for several days before making any decisions.

I'd agree with the others that north Fresno or Clovis would be the place to locate. My brother lives in Clovis and had good experiences with the schools there.

The heat in the summer is too oppressive for me, but compared to the heat and humidity of Georgia, it might be OK for you. Be prepared to live in air conditioned environments (or "swamp coolers," as many homes have.) The cost of housing is low enough that many folks have pools, but unless they're under a shelter, it can be too hot midday to use them during the summer (but what a joy on a hot summer night!)

The air is pretty hazy much of the year, but in the winter when the air clears out, you have good views of the Sierras, which are a playground in your own backyard.

I used to visit friends and family inthe Fresno area all the time. Ex roomie, exBF, from there. Not somewhere I'd really want to live, although there are positives. Seriously, schedule a visit.

I don't think anyone has mentioned ski/snowboard areas, about an hour away.

Summer air quality can be pretty bad.

OP lives in Atlanta so the heat in Fresno is not going to be a problem. For me it's a pretty boring city, but good for raising families and outdoor activities.

I really love Tower District. I have lived here for the last five years and I love it. The community is very much along the lines of what you've described. Lots of gardens, a major focus on bicycles, people actually walk around and know one another. We have made good friends with neighbors and really appreciate the "community" feel of it. There is art and culture and it is one of the few places in Fresno where a diverse group of people come together. Not to mention some very cool houses that break the developer "cookie cutter house" mold.

But it is definitely a transitional neighborhood. We have issues with theft and the homeless (although this is becoming a Fresno-wide problem). We have a Facebook group dedicated exclusively to working together as a community to stop crime (Please Help Stop Crime in the Tower District). For first timers I would try to stick to North of Olive between Palm and San Pablo. Once you got a feel for the place you might decide to branch out.